The Song of the Wood and the Sand
by keemitthefeog
Summary: The desert at night becomes the one place where they allow themselves the human contact most civilians give each other on a daily basis. A hand on the small of her back. Her calloused palm running between his shoulder blades. Their fingers intertwining. That one is harder to explain. But that's ok, she thinks. Because after the sun rises, they don't speak of it.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.

* * *

 _Strength. Endurance. Ruthlessness. Sacrifice. Victory. This is what the shinobi of Sunagakure are made of. They are built to endure in times of war and in times of peace. To achieve victory by any means, by any sacrifice. Even their lives._

 _The families of Sunagakure took advantage of the surrounding desert, gaining natural advantage over foreign countries and their shinobi. The values the Shodai Kazekage instilled upon the shinobi of the village remain today the barrier between peace and destruction of Sunagakure, much like the sand it's named for._

 _'_ _There is strength in the sand, for each grain has the same ambition,' the Sandaime's voice rang out, strong and clear. 'This is something you will all learn as you are constructed into this village's shield. Made into its weapon._ _Your graduation_ _symbolizes a new layer to this great village's defense.'_

 _Six young shinobi stood tall as the Sandaime Kazekage handed each of them their hitai-ate, signifying them as genin of Sunagakure._

 _One, with hair of bright red and a vacant space left in his brown eyes. The grandson of a legendary kunoichi and a genius among puppeteers._

 _Another, with the five qualities that create the perfect Sunagakure shinobi in abundance. The son of nobody but the sand and the wood by which his two new companions, and himself, manipulate in the name of Sunagakure._

 _And a third, with purple war-paint streaking down from her mouth and eyes. The descendent of the creator of the Puppet Jutsu technique and a visionary puppet-crafter, even at her young age._

 _And these three would go on to join the Kugutsu Butai no Sunagakure, and make a name for themselves as the Sabaku no Sankugutsutsukai._

 _While one would leave the village, and the other die in the name of it, Chikamatsu Aruna, the third, the last, remained one of the pillars of strength, endurance, ruthlessness, sacrifice, and victory that held up Sunagakure._

* * *

The halls of the Kazekage's office building were quiet, the stucco structure mostly subduing the already soft steps of a shinobi. The office was empty, most of the men leaving to return home, or gone on missions. The subtle footsteps of a woman were accompanied by the gentle whirring from her wooden companion, both stopping once reaching their destination.

 _Knock! Knock!_

'Enter,' The Kazekage's voice was muffled from behind the door, but loud enough to be understood.

'Kazekage-sama,' Chikamatsu Aruna greeted respectfully, walking in. 'I have the reports you require.'

'Thank you, Aruna-kun,' Rasa murmured, not looking up from his paperwork. 'Please leave them on my desk. I have something I need of you before you retire home for the night.'

'Yes, Kazekage-sama.'

'As my advisor, and body-guard, I would like your view of these… _Rumors,_ Aruna-kun.'

Just from the Kazekage's body language, Aruna wasn't fooled by his blank facial expression. She had worked for Rasa for 13 years, and 2 years before that under the Sandaime. The one thing all military leaders had in common was their façade.

'Permission to sit, Kazekage-sama?'

'Granted,' he replied, sitting back in his chair. Aruna rounded the chair, sitting quickly and crossing her left leg over her right. The office was horribly lit, with walls that matched the floor and a ceiling that was almost too low for comfort. The windows that were positioned behind Rasa were half shuttered, showing the village shadowed by the setting sun.

'Ever since the Daimyō began to outsource jobs to Konohagakure, the more radical Anti-Kazekage groups have been begun to be increasingly vocal. The people of the village can no longer ignore it,' Aruna declared frankly, resting her head on her hand as she continued making eye contact with her Kazekage. 'I got…egged last week.'

'…Egg-ed?'

'Yes. And earlier this week, the group that calls themselves "Sabaku no Kakumei" has begun stuffing petitions under the doors of the residents of West Suna. They call for an impeachment of you, Kazekage-sama.'

'I see…' Rasa uttered, situating his intertwined fingers against his mouth. The office was quiet. 'It's as I feared. These radical groups are beginning to make the general public uneasy. It's only a matter of time before the vandalism and protest reaches dangerous levels.'

'Is this all you needed, Kazekage-sama?'

'Yes. Thank you for your service today, Aruna-kun.'

'Of course, Kazekage-sama,' Aruna bowed, touched by the thanks given. 'I will ensure your safety and help put these groups out of commission, sir. That you can count on.'

'I have no doubt…' Rasa responded gently, his face softening for the first time that night. 'Aruna-kun, forgive me, but one last thing…'

'Yes?'

'How is…Kankurō's training?'

Aruna smiled, thinking of her apprentice. She had been teaching Rasa's middle child the art of puppetry for the last 9 years, taking him on as her protégé.

'He is already proficient enough to use two puppets at once, with perfect control. He has done some…interesting modifications to Karasu. I have no doubt he could make it to chūnin status this year,' Aruna set her hand on her cocked hip, raising one eyebrow, 'However, he's a pest and I can't wait to give him double the drills tomorrow, if you don't mind me saying so, Kazekage-sama.'

'You would know best,' Rasa waved his hand, swiveling around to watch the last of the sun disappear behind Suna. 'That will be all.'

'Yes, Kazekage-sama.'

* * *

Chikamatsu Aruna had been working in the name of Sunagakure for 25 years, 15 of them serving directly under the Kazekage. Sunagakure had a population of 12,408, with 4,950 of them being shinobi. Aruna numbered one of the 186 Jōnin the village had in its arsenal, though each year, more chūnin were promoted to further the might of their military force.

As advisor and main body-guard to the Yondaime Kazekage, as well as ANBU director, Aruna was a recognized face in Suna, so much so, many villagers treated her with great respect and reverence. After years of serving in the Kugutsu Butai, her prowess in puppet-craft was close to legendary, rivaled by only one person: Akasuna no Sasori.

However, Aruna loathed to focus too strongly on the past.

'Chikamatsu-san, do you have anything to add?'

Aruna looked up from the mission report she held in her hands. The layers of paint surrounding her eyes did only so much to hide how tired she was, and she hadn't been listening to the conversation. She eyed the two chūnin before her, who were meant to tail her all day. It was part of their internship as future ambassadors for Suna, or something. Aruna did not remember.

 _When do I ever have anything to add?_ Aruna didn't reply, instead looking back to her report so she could quickly file it and get on with her day. Personally, she thought chūnin were fairly old to start internships, but they looked young, most likely advanced through the ranks quickly because of family background or even bloodline limits, if Aruna recognized one of them correctly.

'Chikamatsu-san?' She looked back up. 'What is it like working with the Kazekage so closely?' Aruna didn't like these sort of questions; they always read a little suspicious.

'What is it you actually want to know?' she asked instead. The younger of the two blinked owlishly.

'W-What do you mean?'

'Why do you wish to hear about how it is? Working with the Kazekage,' she said bluntly. 'Don't make me repeat myself again, this is not a learning experience for me, it is for you. You cannot beat around the bush when seeking information you need, no matter the circumstance. As a shinobi, you take the information you need, you do not wait around to see if you might get it. Jot that down,' she said, pointing to their notebooks.

'Chikamatsu-san, would you say it's more dangerous working directly below the Kazekage?'

'It can be. If Kazekage-sama is being targeted, then I am being targeted. If he is in danger, I am in danger,' Aruna filed away the last mission report and stood, turning to the only walking companion she could stand. 'Oni, what time is it?'

The two chūnin leaned forward eagerly, failing to seem uninterested. Aruna watched as her partner pulled itself up, it's long, wooden arms snaking forwards to grab hold of the desk. It straightened its large straw hat and gave a snarky salute. ' **It's half past 0900,** ' Oni rasped, eliciting gasps of awe from the two chūnin.

Aruna turned to her shadows, looking them both in the eye. She didn't like them very much, but she figured that didn't matter much. 'Listen up,' she said, watching them straighten their backs. She nodded approvingly before continuing, 'I want you two to report back here at 1400, not a minute past. In the meantime, I implore you to practice acting like you're actually chūnin, and not the 14 year olds you are. Dismissed.'

'I'm 15—!'

'I said _dismissed_ ,' she interrupted, annoyed at the outburst. The young shinobi hurried away, accidently knocking into each other when they went through the door.

' **I always admire how rude you are to young people,** ' Oni voiced, shaking out its limbs. ' **Would you wind me up? I'm stiff.** ' Instead of arguing, Aruna stepped forward, bending low in order to reach the winding key. Feeling her chakra pool to her hands, she gave the key three strong winds.

'There. Now let's go.'

' **Ah, rude to all. You see, that's what you humans call** ** _dedication_** ,' Oni supplied, falling in step with Aruna. ' **To be consistently rude; it's talent, I'm sure.** '

'It puzzles me to this day who you gained such a mouth from, Oni,' Aruna grumbled, hiding the smile her partner's sass extracted from her.

Oni hummed, not giving her an answer. Aruna had come into the, for lack of a better term, possession of Oni when she was 18, and since then, the sentient puppet had become a valued friend and partner to her. Many questioned the origin of Oni, due to the fact that no other puppet in the history of Sunagakure had gained sentience. However, the Sandaime, before his disappearance, had outlawed the answer, creating a gag rule. The only ones who knew were Aruna, Oni, the Yondaime and Chiyo-baasama.

Aruna and Oni continued down the hall of the Kazekage's office, discussing in low voices how awful the dry season was on the joints of old puppet models. The walk to the training facility was short, even shorter for a shinobi. Sunagakure was split into eight divisions. These eight were divided into four districts; West Suna, East Suna, North Suna, and South Suna. West Suna was a residential area, home to the civilian population at large. South Suna was help all of Suna's marketplaces and businesses, as well as the (admittedly few in number) inns and lodging for visitors of Suna. North Suna was more residential area mixed with businesses and held the main Hospital and a lot of Suna's medicinal gardens. East Suna was shinobi territory.

East Suna was avoided at large by the civilian population, but that did not mean it was roped off from the public. Aruna and Oni passed a small group of boys, fake hitai-ate falling over their eyes and making them bump into each other. The boys stopped to stare as they passed by, one boy looking at Aruna with admiration in his eyes, while another grinned excitedly as Oni, the ham, tipped it's hat to them. Aruna gave them a small nod of acknowledgment but did not stop. They arrived at the training facility reserved for the Kazekage's family right on time, Oni not missing the opportunity to poke fun at Aruna's inhuman punctuality. Aruna believed being early was acceptable at best, and being late was deplorable, period. Years as a shinobi had wired Aruna to do as she was told to a T, a habit she had secretly been trying to break. But being punctual was a personal preference.

Aruna turned, looking down at her watch. The small hand ticked, and Kankurō only had 37 more seconds before he was late. He appeared with 10 seconds to spare. Aruna's cloth mask covered her smiles, but her eyes were expressive enough to show Kankurō how pleased she was.

'Shishou,' Kankurō greeted. His face paint was different from when she had last seen it, but she decided quickly it suited him. Kankurō had started mimicking her own face paint at a young age, and if that wasn't enough to break through even her sourest moods, then the replica of her personal crest on the chest of his outfit was. Kankurō greeted Oni, who gave the young genin a lazy wave in response.

'Kankurō, I'm pleased at your punctuality, as usual. Before we begin, I'd like a status report of your partners.'

Aruna and Kankurō were the only puppeteers that referred to their puppets as partners, something many people had criticized Aruna for when she was younger. But after taking Kankurō on as her apprentice, she had impressed upon him that while puppets were tools, it took understanding your tool completely, inside and out, to improve and flourish as a puppet master. You needed to do the same with partners.

'I reattached Karasu's arm and it's all good now,' Kankurō answered dutifully, before adopting a more mischievous look, 'and I did a few other things to it, too.'

Aruna crossed her arms, not supplying an answer to the second part of his reply, but nodding. 'Good. Be prepared for it to break again: you're doing double drills today.'

'What!? Shishou, I said sorry yesterday, and you accepted it!'

'Yes, I did accept it. And after your drills, I will forgive it.'

' **Better just listen to her, Kurō-kun. She means business,** ' Oni supplied from her left. Kankurō's cocky smirk had fled Suna entirely, leaving him with a devastated look on his face. He looked back up at Aruna, a clear pout and wide eyes. Aruna promised herself that face would never work on her again.

'If you impress me, the drills will be shortened,' she said quietly, wondering when she allowed herself to be twisted around this little punk's finger.

Kankurō nodded, obviously relieved his mentor wouldn't put him through the wringer.

She did. Halfway through she decided double drills would benefit him more. Kankurō kept his whining to himself, lest she decide to make it routine.

 _Man, I'm never going to prank Shishou again,_ was all he thought as he withdrew his partners once again.

* * *

Perhaps it was the pride for her village, which had blossomed in her chest at birth. Or maybe, the code which all shinobi, from any village, live by. Whatever it was, Aruna would not admit to any outsider just how much Sunagakure was suffering.

She saw it on the Kazekage's face each morning, each time she brought in a new report. She saw it in the markets, when vendors closed early because they were out of things to sell. It was painful to see the civilians scrape together whatever they could, and even more painful to see the encroaching homeless problem, only temporarily solved by housing them in the Shinobi District of East Suna until they can pick themselves back up. They rarely ever can. The jōnins are old, and shinobi should never be old. It was both a blessing and a shame to live that long, even more so because of how few missions they had in comparison to most Hidden Villages.

Aruna and Baki were two of the youngest jōnin, as well as two of the strongest. Aruna got along well with Kankurō's sensei, more of a formality than practicality in the case of the Kazekage's children. But even Aruna and Baki, 32 and 30 respectively, were close to being considered old themselves. A shinobi's life expectancy was short, which is supposed to be made up by their replicability. But in Sunagakure, their military power was halved due to the size. So, what Suna didn't have in numbers, they had in strength. They had individual power. Because each grain of sand was important. That's what the Sandaime had believed.

But blood made sand clump.

Aruna didn't agree with it. She had followed Rasa for more than a decade. She resented anyone who told her she did anything blindly, but in a way, that's what she had done. Follow blindly. But it was worse when you followed someone you didn't agree with. Aruna wished she had stayed blind, only had to worry about the Kazekage's body, and not what may happen to Suna.

The Sannin were famous everywhere. It didn't matter if you hailed from Takigakure, Kirigakure or some insignificant village in the middle of nowhere. One was a sage. One was a legendary healer. One was a S-Class missing-nin.

Aruna would have rather dealt with the Slug Princess.

'Kazekage-sama, permission to speak freely?' she murmured as soon as the man left. Rasa eyed Aruna for a second, a stern, impenetrable look on his face.

'Granted.'

'Konohagakure may not be our closest ally, but without the truce between us, Suna may not—'

'You are not usually this long-winded, Aruna. Tell me your point.' Aruna narrowed her eyes, trying not to show her dissatisfaction with her Kazekage's lack of patience in the face of her questioning. Call her a rebel, but absolute power wasn't a good thing.

'I do not believe it wise to trust Orochimaru. I fear Suna will suffer greatly.'

'I see.' Rasa did not speak for a long while, and Aruna wondered if he was considering what she had said at all. 'As my advisor, I…value your insight. Leave me to my thoughts, Aruna.'

'Yes, Kazekage-sama.'

He didn't listen. The Suna Council had agreed. No more outsourcing missions, no more selling gold dust just to keep Sunagakure floating. Otogakure was lending man power, and promising a better future for Suna after the hit to Konoha. The Ichibi's jinchūriki was to be the centerpiece of their invasion on Konoha. Kankurō's little brother.

'Shishou, Baki is going to put us in the Chūnin Exams,' Aruna could see Kankurō was trying to hold back his excitement, trying to play it down. Aruna had assured Kankurō a number of times he was ready for chūnin status, had practically bragged to many of her colleagues about his brilliance as a puppeteer and shinobi.

Aruna would not be the one to break the news to Kankurō that their stint to Konoha was not to get promoted. She left that to Baki, who had taught the three siblings since they were young. Baki, who was wholly behind the plan. She didn't know what Temari thought, the teenage girl had never come to Aruna for anything other than her brother's whereabouts, and even then, conversation was stilted. The Kazekage had long stopped referring to his youngest as such, which left him out of Aruna's sphere of attention. But some nights, after a particularly rough night, Aruna thought of the small red-haired child with a beast in his belly and wondered if she could ever have been his Shishou.

Kankurō was easy to read. He did not seem to like the plan, even if he hid his opinion in the deep recesses of his mind. Even if he smirked and agreed readily to do his part. Because even though he wasn't hers through blood, Aruna felt undisputable devotion to Kankurō, a fierce protectiveness welling up within her.

So yes, she would follow Rasa into this fight, protect him. If not for Sunagakure, then for Kankurō, to make sure he wasn't thrown into the fire that the Kazekage started.

* * *

Aruna had only been to Konoha seven times in her life. Each time hating the trek, and each time cursing the humidity. And she would never admit it, but beside the damp air and the stupid shinobi, she liked the look of Konoha. The trees were strong and tall, nothing like the bushes and shrubs of the desert.

The Sandaime Hokage was an old man, that played the grandfatherly part a little too strong for her tastes. Never in the history of the Hidden Villages had a Kage regained the hat, but if Aruna was being honest, that's because most Kage's never got the chance to "retire". The idiots all die before they get the chance. The Yondaime Hokage was someone Aruna had never seen in person, but his reputation was enough for her to respect him, even grudgingly.

Again, not something Aruna would admit readily.

Her trips to Konoha were always for the same thing. The Joint Chūnin Exams, or as a messenger for the Kazekage. Aruna had not taken part in a Chūnin Exam herself, having been field promoted at the age of 8. She thinks she would have liked an Exam instead.

As the official unofficial ambassador to Konoha, Aruna was expected to meet with the Hokage in the place of Rasa, since he could not leave the village for insignificant meetings.

So, it's up to Aruna to not tip everyone off as she meets with the Hokage to personally enter Sunagakure's chūnin candidates. Of course, Aruna would never; she was a professional and completely loyal to her village. Snitching on her Kazekage was not on her agenda. But it was strange, walking through a market place that could get razed by people she knew. Possibly by her. She disliked the idea of it purely because of how she would feel if it was her village. If Konoha and Otogakure (an alliance which realistically would never happen) brought Suna to its knees, she would be beside herself with hatred and anger.

But this wasn't her village. And she couldn't change her Kazekage's mind. So, she walked to the Hokage's tower, avoiding the eyes of the four immortalized heads of their leaders that watch over Konoha. And when she stands before Sarutobi Hiruzen, she knows he doesn't suspect Suna plans to take his life.

She enters the 10 teams from her village, she gives them the required registration papers that each genin had signed. Aruna doesn't even blink as she hands over Kankurō's.

'Chikamatsu-kun, thank you as always. I hope your return to Suna is just as safe.' The Hokage sounds genuine, but Aruna has met enough shinobi to know that anyone named the God of them would be just as good at lying, if not better.

'Thank you, Hokage-sama,' she replies, her bow never reaching lower than it would for her Kazekage.

It's all uniform and by the book and so painfully predictable. And so, she tricks herself into thinking this visit is just like all the others. Because shinobi lie, and she's a good shinobi.

Aruna saw Kankurō and his siblings off as they, and a few of the other teams from Suna, started their own journey to Konohagakure. Aruna flicks the feline ear of Kankurō's head scarf.

'Do not do anything stupid.'

'Me? Stupid? Please, Shishou.' He's cocky and naïve, but she sees the small flicker in his brow that tells her he knows what she means, and Aruna is reminded. Reminded of a small boy with brown hair that didn't have a bloodline, didn't have a tailed beast, and didn't have a lot chakra, but flourished under her teaching. Flourished despite the desert's best efforts.

'Baki,' she called out, privately pleased to see the apprehensive look on his face as he turns to her. 'You have permission to punish my protégé if he proves to be disruptive in Konohagakure. This mission is all about…cooperation between villages, after all,' Aruna jokes, but mostly it just comes off as a strange warning. Oni is the only one who laughs.

She stays by the gates, watching the genin disappear into the dunes.

Aruna distracts herself with work. Along with being advisor to the Kazekage, she is his ANBU director, and therefore is basically legally allowed to have her thumb in every pie in Sunagakure. That's how she ended up getting shoe-horned into actually doing her job; stopping the "Sabaku no Kakumei."

For almost more than half of her life, Aruna has been privy to the inner workings of not only ANBU, but Sunagakure itself. She had eyes and ears everywhere, painstakingly curated through services and benefits and loyalty. There were not many things that made it past Aruna's notice, besides the obvious civilian gossip that was of no value to her.

And if you ever saw Chikamatsu Aruna frequent a certain establishment in the Red Light District, well…no one thought it was any of their business what the busiest woman in Suna did with her free time.

* * *

Nakajima Kazushi had been a male entertainer for most of his adult life, if not all of it. He was confident in saying he was hard to surprise, even after all the things he had seen. But, when the Kazekage's right hand woman came to him the first time, he redacted that assertion. That first visit was the start of an arrangement between the two of them. Chikamatsu Aruna offered him protection and money in return for information he gathered from his clientele and his own connections around the Red Light District.

'Chikamatsu-san is here to visit, Kazushi,' his colleague would report, a lecherous, teasing grin adorning her face each and every time. He couldn't tell her it was purely business. Well, it was purely business already—just more so, now. He couldn't tell any of them that behind screen-doors, they kept nearly all their clothes on, only doing the bare minimum so as to not get caught. He'd get fired, lose his reputation as a valued and sought-after entertainer.

But each time Chikamatsu Aruna came to visit, there was a strange, bitter taste of irony in each encounter. He once said to her, 'This is rather dirty—what we're doing—isn't it?'

'Dirty?' it was the first smile he'd seen, but it was sardonic in nature and made his skin tingle. 'Sweetheart, everything you do is dirty.'

He resented that. She would come to find he was just as valuable, just as honorable as some high-ranking _shinobi._ And, through it all, after 6 years, they had come out the other end friends, and he awaited her visits with bated breath. Because, when he did hear interesting things from his other clients, he knew there was a reason she needed to know them—a good reason. So, even when it made him feel dirty, or used, or even untrustworthy, he felt proud. He knew she only did it for Sunagakure, for its people. He could not pardon his worse clients, not like some of his associates could. It felt good to be of some help.

* * *

Officially, it wasn't called a brothel. Oh, it certainly _was_ a brothel, from the prostitutes inside to the flickering red light hanging from the awning. But sex makes people uncomfortable. So, officially, it's nothing but a special tea house.

When she walks in, the first thing she ever looks at is the people. The escorts and entertainers all wear fine clothing, infinitely more lavish and decorative than the average civilian of Suna. She watches them smile at her, and catches the occasional predatory edge, no doubt because of her status. Aruna notices the new workers first, then looks to the older women, and finally, whenever she visits, she goes to see the mother.

Wakumi-sama was once a kunoichi of Sunagakure, an expert at infiltration and subterfuge. The training facility no longer taught the same skills to kunoichi that they did when Wakumi became a kunoichi. By the age of 17, Wakumi held the record for the single most successful seduction and infiltration missions. After retiring, she took in women and men looking for work and taught them her skills, her ways. Not a single one of her employees had ever been taken advantage of without losing something in return—whether it be a certain part of the human anatomy or their life.

'Wakumi-sama,' she greeted, bowing shallowly.

'Aruna-chan…what a lovely surprise,' Wakumi gestured to a young woman, hardly out of her teens. The girl stood up immediately, running to get tea. Wakumi shook her head at the lack of poise. 'He's busy right now.'

'I'm a patient woman,' Aruna replied, unconcerned. Wakumi narrowed her eyes, studying the younger woman.

'So you are. Why does my Kazushi interest you so?'

Aruna respected Wakumi, respected her history and her age and her legacy. But one fact remained at the front of her mind. For all Wakumi could do or had done, she was old. She was plumper, having lived a relatively easy life after retirement. She was slower, her joints and muscles weakening with age and overuse. Despite Wakumi's skills and knowledge, Aruna was better. Not just anyone could get where she had gotten and stayed there for over a decade.

So, Aruna smiled, the only evidence of it the crinkling of her paint slathered eyes. When the young girl returned with tea, Aruna took a cup, but didn't take a sip. 'Can't a woman have her tastes,' was all she said before emptying the cup in one go. Only those who didn't know Aruna's skills intimately would ever attempt to poison her.

The two women were stuck like that, watching each other with veiled intent. It wasn't broken until Kazushi entered the main room, leaning against the doorway.

'Aruna-sama, I apologize for the wait,' he said, looking completely unapologetic. Aruna calmly stood up, giving another quick, shallow bow to Wakumi, before walking over to him.

She followed after him, silently taking in the uneven gait of her associate.

'Wakumi-sama has grown suspicious of me,' Aruna commented lightly, lowering her voice. Kazushi twitched, looking back at her.

'Yes, she has.'

'I'm sorry to put you in this position.'

'That's not usually what my clients say to me.' Aruna's quick cough hid any reaction to his joke. 'Right through here, Aruna-sama,' he said, louder than perhaps necessary.

The sex was clinical. Neither of them drew any immense pleasure or satisfaction from the action, but that had proven to be too suspicious. Aruna's reputation of a calm, quiet woman would have to change in order to keep this contact.

'He came in last night,' Kazushi reported, pouring her some more tea. 'He was tense, very touchy, and a bit rough. He mentioned two of his partners had left the movement. Oh, and apparently, I am now a member of the Sabaku no Kakumei,' he said that last part with mocking nonchalance.

'Congratulations, Kaz,' she said dryly, taking off her mask to drink her tea.

'I've been invited to the next meeting.'

'Will you be going?' the casual nature of the question was ruined by her serious expression.

'I haven't decided. Getting mixed up with them would cause more than just one problem for me,' he said, standing up to lock the door. 'But I can tell you where it is. They plan for their rallies to be in a warehouse, right at the cusp of East Suna.'

Aruna drew in a quick breath. 'They plan to meet right under the nose of Sunagakure's forces?'

'Apparently so.'

'They're even bolder than I assumed…' Aruna stood, removing her flak jacket and headdress. 'Let's begin; I have other places to be.'

Kazushi rolled his eyes, 'You really know how to arouse,' he muttered.

It had reached the point that it was no longer uncomfortable, because for all the strangeness their arrangement caused, they were both professionals.

'The girls don't believe you, you know,' he told her, undressing. 'They think you must be frigid since you make no noise. Or that I'm just that bad at my job.'

'Then I'll just have to pretend,' she replied, looking up at him.

'Think you can manage?'

'Shinobi are good liars,' Aruna breathed against his neck.

* * *

Getting eyes inside the Sabaku no Kakumei's rally wasn't hard. Nothing truly beat having contacts and connections in every district, but Aruna was not hailed as a genius for nothing.

Along with puppets like Oni, which relied on chakra-enriched gears and hydraulics to move on their own, Aruna was able to create wind up listening devices; ones that looked just like bugs and desert fauna. They were not effective in combat, but not every mission ended in fighting. Infiltration, sabotage, information gathering, all done by a puppet the size of a bean.

Unlike Oni, though, they were not fool-proof. Because of Oni's consciousness, it was able to react and devise and adapt to situations, to think and move. Aruna's "Bugs" could only scuttle until the chakra ran out. It was a work in progress.

 **'** **Zzzzzzz… The Kazekage has…Zzzzzzz…too long!'** Aruna knocked her fist against the radio, rapidly adjusting the frequency to get clearer audio. Oni napped beside her, having no interest in her reconnaissance. **'For decades, the Kazekage Clan has flourished, protected by the warriors meant to protect** _ **us!**_ **Our Daimyo has left us due to their incompetence! Due to squabbles between grown men meant to be our leaders!'**

Aruna snorted softly, resting her head on her palm, recording the speech by hand. _These men truly don't realize the lengths many shinobi go for them,_ she mused.

 _ **'**_ **We do not have to stand for this any longer! In the words of the Shodai, "Never again will the people of sand sink"!'**

Oni creaked, reaching forward to grab the table. ' **Quoting a Kage at an Anti-Kazekage rally? Interesting, no?** '

'I don't think the people there really care,' she commented back, listening to the fuzzy roar of applause absently.

 **'** **The Kazekage plans to…Zzzzzzz…But he will not succeed!'** Aruna sat closer, eyebrows furrowing. **'The Honored Entourage leaves to Konohagakure for the finals of the Chūnin Exams, where he will land a hit against their Hokage…'**

' _How do they know about this_?' Aruna nearly thundered, standing up so fast, the chair she had been sitting in fell backwards. ' _MAKI_!' she barked.

The door slammed open, Maki at full alert. She did not question Aruna, a fact that distantly pleased the older woman. 'Construct two squads. Riot gear. Rally located near the community training grounds. I need it dispersed _immediately_. Preferably yesterday.'

'Yes, ma'am!' Maki shunshin-ed briskly. Aruna turned to her partner, her face twisted in irritation.

'Oni, can I count on you to continue listening in while I deal with this?'

' **Maa…I was going to go back to sleep,** ' Oni remarked, wrapping its long arms around itself. ' **Yes,** _ **mother,**_ **I will play spy.** '

Aruna didn't have time to argue about his tone. She made it to the Kazekage's office in three seconds flat. She had no idea how the Sabaku no Kakumei had gotten word of the Kazekage's infiltration of Konoha, but she was going to find out.

The rally turned out to only have about 50 people in attendance, but that was 50 people that knew the Kazekage's plan. Aruna couldn't help but be relieved Kaz hadn't gone.

After finding out about the rally, the Kazekage was in a bad mood the rest of the week. Public dissent was one thing, something any Suna shinobi could handle. The spread of a A-class secret? Not as easy.

Aruna had a long month ahead of her.

* * *

 **To: Chikamatsu Aruna**

 **From: Kankurō**

 **Shishou,**

 **Konohagakure is as green as you said it was. At first, I didn't get why you wanted to tell me that, but now that I'm here, that's gotta be the most obvious thing about this place.**

 **I almost punted the grandson of the Hokage. Sorry, I guess. Tomorrow we start the second exam. The first one was to test how good we are at stealth, and our resolve or whatever.**

 **See you soon.**

* * *

Kankurō's letters always left much to be desired. Even after teaching that boy how to write, Aruna wasn't able to get him to actually _write_.

Kankurō and his siblings would be staying in Konoha for the next month if they passed the second test—which she was sure they would. Aruna didn't consider Kankurō relationship with his siblings her business, but she was sure she no longer wanted to see Kankurō continue to wither in the presence of his youngest sibling. Gaara was not under her jurisdiction, in both an emotional and professional fashion. But, the host of the Ichibi was unstable, volatile, and left Kankurō shaking at night, so she wasn't so sure she'd avoid it forever.

Rasa was many things, but a good father wasn't one of them. Or a good brother-in-law.

The memorial in Suna was small. Sunagakure did not have the luxury of having rich earth which would be fine to bury the dead in. Nor did many of the dead ever make it back home again.

A large sandstone mausoleum, erected from the sand and rocky cliffs that surrounded Suna. Every summer, the streets were cleared and the denizens of Sunagakure and their protectors all traveled down the large roads that crossed through their village, pilgrimaging to the mausoleum to give tribute and prayers of safe passing. Prayers of peace.

She visited often, alone or with Oni, to the few names she cared to see. Aruna did not enjoy the large parades through the street. It was tacky to her.

Yashamaru would tease her if he knew how much she visited him. Her mother would probably remind her she had more important things to do. Jomei…Jomei would probably flush bright red, which would have clashed with his naturally ashen skin. The ghost of her closest friend, the maker of Oni, would never expect his stoic teammate to take time out of her day _just for him_.

Maybe that's why she did it.

'He's grown almost 10 centimeters in the last 6 months,' she reported quietly to Kankurō's late uncle. 'He seems to think his height will garner more respect. I told him if that was all it took, I never would have gotten where I am.' 171.9 cm was respectable, she would argue till the day she died, but that didn't change the fact that one day, Kankurō would be much, much taller than his poor Shishou.

She wasn't sure if rambling to the dead made it easier or if it was just one more thing she did to try and quell her guilt. Oni payed its own respects once in a while to Jomei, but never once saw any reason to feel burdened by the life he had given it. The puppet never did grasp that aspect of human nature, but when she brought it up, it always said the same thing;

' **I'm not human, so why does it matter?** '

And if that wasn't a reasonable answer, Aruna didn't know what was.

Humanity and morals were tested as a shinobi, a fact Aruna did not shy from. If sleeping with a prostitute for information was questionable, Aruna invited anyone to read the reports of some of her more _exciting_ missions. After Jomei, Aruna had been set adrift. Until her partnership with Yashamaru, she agreed to do anything for the village. Yashamaru brought back more of her humanity.

Of course, not even Yashamaru was free of a shinobi's burden. Every once in a while, Aruna would curse Rasa, deep in the middle of the night, for stealing Yashamaru from Gaara. Stealing him from Kankurō and Temari. And then, the next morning, she would greet him like she did every morning.

She wasn't a good person. Had never tried to be. But she was a good shinobi.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the Sand Siblings. I probs would have treated them better though,,,,

* * *

It was a week until the invasion. Aruna dealt with it the only way she could think to: completely immersing herself in the shadows of Sunagakure.

Many forget what qualifications a woman must meet to become ANBU Director, much less a commanding officer. Aruna didn't care to know how other villages handled their special ops; all she knew was that it took blood, secrets and silence to make it in Suna. Being ANBU didn't just mean knowing what had happened. It was how it happened, why it happened, who did it. ANBU wasn't an all-encompassing omnipresent force, but it was a near thing. Suna's special ops was the sand that drifted in with the wind and was swept out with the morning sun before any man woke to bake bread. They were in the gaps of shade that broke up the monotony of Suna's landscape.

Aruna had utilized those gaps, had been swept up like sand by the lightest wind. The villagers liked to call them "Mirages", convinced the veiled shinobi they spotted out of the corner of their eyes could only be a trick of temperatures, a trick of the light.

Aruna earned her place as ANBU Director, having done her time in the corps herself. So, it was only natural she would be able to fall right back into place with the sand and shade.

Some of her subordinates whisper, make assumptions about her pull, her power. Say she'd be nothing without her network, without plants and eyes everywhere. She invites them to question her, but does not hide from them just how wrong they were.

While Kankurō is away and Rasa is pushed deeper and deeper into Orochimaru's pocket, Aruna discovers the mastermind behind the Sabaku no Kakumei. Her knees are pressed to the ceiling, breath non-existent as she watches the surprisingly short, middle aged man with laugh lines and stick thin arms dictate to his partner where to strike against the Kazekage next. Their plans are rather juvenile in a shinobi's eyes. Their coup does not call for blood, which confuses Aruna.

'Have you heard any news from the Capital?' the leader asks, unbridled hope shining in his eyes. Aruna grimaces at the lack of composure in their figure head.

'No,' his companion reports, shoulders slumped either from disappointment or natural posture. She quickly files away the man's bent over frame, and the way his spine is not straight like hers. _A back condition then_ , she decides. The leader has his own health problems, ranging from malnutrition to a slight shake in his hands. _Possibly a byproduct of the malnourishment._

'I see.'

'Our brothers and sisters in the Capital do not understand the full extent, brother. They can only see what we do through our correspondence.'

Aruna noted the familiarity. "Brothers and sisters"? _This was more than a movement to them._

They finally left after their discussion, leaving Aruna alone in the leader's quarters. Rifling through anything of use, Aruna memorized as much as she could, copying down what she could not.

Aruna left, leaving no trace but a few stray grains of sand.

'Maki,' Aruna called out, quietly but clearly. Her second in command appeared instantly, nothing but a small puff of dust marking her arrival. Aruna looked at her younger associate, a brief flicker of their first correspondence ghosting through her mind. 'Please arrange for,' there was a small hesitation in her order, but not even Maki caught it, 'a _random search and seizure_ of the following residencies.'

'Hai, Aruna-sama.'

Aruna did not feel guilt; only a cold, detached curiosity at the belief these men and women held. That petitions and rallies and words could bring down a military power before it brought itself to its knees. She could not help the rueful smile on her face as she watched two powers race to destroy the Kazekage: the Sabaku no Kakumei and the Kazekage himself.

* * *

'Aruna-kun,' The Yondaime Kazekage implored, a slight grimace adorning his weather-beaten face. It was not the soft skin of a royal, a fact that worked in a military leader's favor.

'Kazekage-sama, do not waste your breath on my account. My loyalty does not waver in the face of disagreement,' Aruna respectfully cut him off. They were to travel to Konoha the next day, Aruna did not need another reminder of what was to come.

'You are my advisor and closest colleague. If not ever before, your support is needed now.'

'You have it, Kazekage-sama.'

Rasa narrowed his eyes. Aruna wanted to roll hers. Rasa stood from his seat at his desk, turning his back to her and looking out the sole window of the entire building. She wanted to laugh; sometimes he was so obvious. His posture screamed: _trust me as I trust you._

She doesn't think she's ever trusted anyone.

It's almost frightening how normal everything starts out. There are no whispers of great ugly plans, no sweeping commands for blood right before heading out. Rasa does not utter a word about the invasion. Aruna sends a squad of Mirages to scout ahead and a squad of Mirages to watch behind. Standard procedure.

Walking across the dunes surrounding Sunagakure is all about strategy. Sunset is when it's best to set out, quickly utilizing only the light of the moon in the dull cold of the desert. The rationing of water is done to a T. Not even the Kazekage gets a drop more. Rock formations lost in the wind-swept sand are where any camps are to be set.

Aruna has always admired the ever-changing landscape of a desert that can still remain familiar.

 _'_ _Is it true?'_

 _Aruna glances over at Kazushi, hating the answer._

 _'_ _I don't know what you mean.'_

 _'_ _I'm a prostitute, not an idiot.'_

 _'_ _What do you want me to tell you? You know the answer.'_

 _'_ _Well, now I do,' he grumbled, crossing his arms around his torso as a cheap replacement for comfort._

 _She almost tells him she doesn't want to go through with it. She's just following orders._

 _'_ _I don't know if I'll ever see you again,' she says instead. The noise he makes informs her that it may not have been the best thing to say. 'I tipped more today.'_

 _'_ _As what, an apology for dying?' he asked sharply. She doesn't quite understand the hurt in his voice, but in the back of her mind, she figures it may have to do with whatever seems to be blocking her throat._

 _'_ _More like a thank you for all your cooperation over the course of our…arrangement.'_

As Aruna slides across the shifting sands of the desert beside the Kazekage, she replays Kazushi's last words to her.

' _You know something Aruna? I think for all the shit you know, there's a lot you won't ever understand.'_

It'd be hurtful if it wasn't achingly truthful. Maki asks her something but she's too deep in her own mind to hear it the first time.

It the third day of traveling when a sandstorm splits up the party. Aruna flares her chakra in a specific rhythm, calling the back squad to her and the Kazekage's aid. Sandstorms in Wind Country come without much warning, but no shinobi of the Sand is ever ill prepared. Protocols switch on instantly. Aruna's ever present set of goggles get their debut of the day, and her face veil serves its primary purpose.

She watches the Kazekage calmly use his Gold Dust to create a barrier around himself and the entourage. He does not seem surprised at the sand storm, though she knows it was not forecasted. She feels the sweat from her brow trickle down her temple. Before anything else can happen, Aruna turns to Maki, gently grabbing the younger woman by the shoulder and bringing her ear toward her. The sand is brash and noisy, and she doesn't want to speak too loudly.

'Attempt to make contact with the scouting squad. _Do not return until you feel my signal, Maki, do you understand?_ ' Aruna murmurs to her. Maki's eyes are wide behind her goggles, but Aruna knows better than to think she's frightened.

'Hai. May this sun not be your last,' Maki murmurs back.

'And may your sand stay unstained,' she returns. It's wishful thinking. ' _Go_.'

Rasa does not question Maki's disappearance, but Aruna doesn't think he's aware of much at present. There's an odd kind of grimness mixed with acceptance in her Kazekage's eyes, and as he walks, his eyes never drift away from his unspoken destination. Aruna does not falter as she walks beside him, surely following him into hell. She does not regret sending Maki away; If anything, she relishes in the flush of relief that streams through her.

Aruna has never been one to mince words.

'Rasa. He won't forgive you.'

He doesn't answer.

* * *

Orochimaru manages to even send a shiver down her spine as he eyes the Kazekage almost hungrily. The Sannin is too pale for Suna, for this part of Wind Country at all. His sickly pallor only makes his bile yellow eyes more striking. Aruna thinks he'd be less terrifying if he wasn't so beautiful.

The conversation starts out jeeringly casual. She is set on edge the minute the snake starts hissing a greeting.

'Kazekage- _kun_ , this meeting is a surprise. What is it you'd need to discuss with me?' Orochimaru wonders. Aruna wishes to know, too.

'Orochimaru,' Rasa begins, and Aruna notices for the first time the slight tremor in her Kazekage's shoulders. 'Sunagakure is withdrawing its support for this invasion.'

 _Why of all things would he keep that from me_ , Aruna wanted to roll her eyes, the angst that took hold of her at the beginning of the month loosening its grip.

'Oh?' Orochimaru's laugh was an unnatural sound, an amalgam of clicks and an odd sort of throaty chuckle. 'Rasa-kun, I do not believe that was part of the deal. You see, withdrawing from this agreement…is less satisfactory for the both of us.'

'You have my answer, you snake.'

'Kazekage-sama, please step away,' Aruna ordered harshly to her leader. She inched in front of Rasa, her Mirages falling into place around them both.

'It's unsatisfactory for me,' Orochimaru continued, a sinister look of amusement drawn over his face, 'Because now I have even more to do. It's unsatisfactory for you…well, I guess you'll find out soon what happens to those that break a deal with me.'

He was fast. Aruna unsealed Cerberus and Dip in quick secession, but the Sannin had already taken down two Mirages.

'Kazekage-sama, get back!' She pulled her chakra strings erratically, putting her puppets in between Rasa and Orochimaru. 'White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Shuffle!' Without looking away from her opponent, Aruna switched out her puppets with unimaginable speed, her family's special seals helping her achieve a quick withdrawal and arrival of a new puppet.

Unprepared for her electrified Xolotl, Orochimaru's eyes widened, and he pushed away just in time to not be bit by her puppet's shocking maw. An unsettling smile split his face as he stood straight, only a few meters away.

'Chikamatsu Aruna…It's a shame I must kill someone so skilled in such a juvenile technique. Someone once warned me of your skills; an old friend of yours.' Aruna's mind whirred at the implications, but she did not show any reaction to what the Snake Sannin was saying. Her puppets shuffled from string to string, all four of her Puppet Pack out in the open, switching between her hands at an untraceable rate. Cerberus, Anubis, Dip and Xolotl all posed to strike out at the man trying to kill her Kazekage. 'Don't play coy Chikamatsu-chan,' he teased, but not playfully. 'You know who I speak of.'

The creature in the form of a man raised his chin, opening his mouth wide. Three Mirages flanked Aruna, but she simply watched as Orochimaru choked out the legendary blade Kusanagi. Her operatives rushed him, and she couldn't call them off before they were expertly slashed, their blood spraying over the dunes.

Her dogs were fast but he was faster. Vaulting over Cerberus' three heads and dodging Anubis' poisoned blades, Kusanagi's edge sliced through her chakra strings like yarn, her two dogs falling lifeless on the sand. Aruna jumped back, 'White Secret Technique: Poison Surge,' Anubis' mouth unhinged, revealing a large tube. In a matter of seconds, a wave of liquid sludge rained from her puppet's mouth, gurgling as it flung toward the Sannin. She took a second to look back to see the Kazekage's position.

'Eyes on me, Chi-ka-ma-tsu-chan. What would Akasuna no Sasori say about this sorry display?' the voice was behind her, but before she could pull Xolotl around, Aruna felt something cold shoot through her abdomen. Aruna knew the bite of a blade well; she had played patient more than once in the hospital. This is something new.

Her arms feel heavy, so she drops them. She remembers lying in this very desert, chakra nearly depleted, back when she was only 14 years old, and thinks _this is sort of similar_. But her chakra is there, stagnant, and her body seizes up around the blade. Too quickly is it slid right back out again, a harsh **_SQUELCH_** as it exits her torso. Involuntarily, her body follows after it, but it's not quick enough. Aruna marvels at the wound, rapidly staining even the thick material of her vest. _The sword that can cut anything_ , she faintly answers in her mind, cupping the gushing of her own blood.

She thinks she hears Rasa, but she can't be sure because she's shaking now, and suddenly she's kneeling, her legs not strong enough against the shock. Aruna has been in pain before. Excruciating pain; infuriating pain; sometimes even the kind of pain that she finds appealing. This is a new kind of pain.

Her vision is a bit fuzzy, but even in her sorry state, she is awake enough to watch, helpless, as her Kazekage is pierced. A sound comes out of her mouth, half way between a groan and a cry of distress. Then she is alone.

Her vision is spotty and the unconscious tick of seconds in her mind is quiet for once in her life, not reminding her how much time has passed since she was stabbed, since she fell, since Rasa was killed. Her arms are heavy, but she figures they must still work. She moves them, landing on her forearms to drag herself over to her superior. Then she remembers her arms are attached to her body, too, and feels the pull of her muscles, flaring pain through her middle. She moves one arm at a time, not thinking about how long it will take, just how many more it'll be. By the time she reaches his body, there is no face to stare mournfully down at. Aruna grits her teeth, disgusted, but somehow the act of being disgusted hurts, so she tries to calm down.

' **Runa…** ' she hears. She can put the voice to a name, but it takes some time. ' **I've never regretted unsealing myself until just now,** ' it seems to joke. Aruna used what felt like the last of her strength to flop onto her back.

'Oni,' she gasped, struggling to remember how to breath and talk simultaneously, 'Oni, listen to me.'

It kneeled beside her, slowly reaching down to support her neck. There was hesitance in its movements, and Aruna would have found it cute on any other day. ' **I'm here…** '

'The Sannin—he took Rasa's face—he tried to call off the invasion—oro-has…he's going to pretend to be Kazekage,' she began to slur a bit. 'I need you—I need you to find Maki, tell her what happened.'

' ** _I'm not leaving you out here!_** ' Oni announced, aghast.

'Oni, I'm—losing a lot of blood here, my friend…You're going to have to—'

' **Not happening.** ' It's long arms snaked around her back and under her knees. ' **I have full energy—it'll get a little bumpy. Do you have those human bandages anywhere?** '

'All bandages—are—human bandages…in my pack…'

' **Then what do you call the wrappings you put on me?** ' it asked, a third arm from it's back arching over its head to reach her pack.

'That's—always just been tape—you pest…It reminds me where you—need—repairs,' she panted. Oni's third hand bundled the bandages up and placed them on her torso. Having never applied first aid to anyone before, it left it up to Aruna. Aruna's shaky hands pressed the bandages against her wound, trying to staunch the blood.

' **Hold on, Runa. I'm going to flicker. Are you ready?** '

'The pack—my dogs,' she whined. Aruna let out a breath when she was suddenly dropped back onto the floor. 'Oni—If I get out—of this…I'm teaching you how to fucking treat an injured person…'

' **I have them. Get ready.** '

'Just get us out of—here,' she said, her head lolling back over it's shoulder, her eyes landing on Rasa's prone figure, already partially covered in sand. 'Be right–back—Rasa,' she murmured, too quietly for even Oni to hear.

Aruna was by no means a fuinjutsu master. She knew how to make an explosion tag, and knew how to make a rudimentary sealing roll. But after years of hitting roadblocks when experimenting with her puppets, she was able to sort of wing it with seals (without blowing off her arm). Along with the electrical seals she developed for Xolotl, and her own personal explosion tags, she was able to make a one-off seal that copied the Body Flicker Jutsu. Each of her partners was equipped with one, Oni having it's own pack.

Oni uses a small spark of chakra to activate the seal, pulling them to one of the closer outposts. They land just outside the base, and Oni quickly readjusts it's hold and runs in, its shaky wooden legs carrying her to the medical bay.

' **What do I say? How do I help?** ' She had never heard Oni sound so human in it's panic.

'You jus'–gotta yell, 'Medic'—you pest.'

And then she blacks out.

* * *

 _It was cold in the desert at night. Civilians and shinobi alike knew it as a fact. It had dropped to 4'C when they decide using shared body heat could no longer be called a distraction, but a survival technique. Aruna does not bother to tell him she knows the Breath of Life technique. He doesn't tell her he has a cloak sealed in one of his scrolls._

 _They are 13 years old._

 _The desert at night becomes the one place where they allow themselves the human contact most civilians give each other on a daily basis. A hand on the small of her back. Her calloused palm running between his shoulder blades. Their fingers intertwining. That one is harder to explain. But that's ok, she thinks. Because after the sun rises, and the rays touch his bright red hair, they don't speak of it._

 _He is strong and feared, revered by the village for his skill. But to her, he is gentle, cold in a familiar way that shouldn't be as comforting as it is. The vacancy in his eyes is less cavernous when she looks into them._

 _The night is theirs. But in the day, she knows why it can't go beyond that. Why the cold prompts her while the sun warns her. He is dangerous. As is she, but to enemies and threats, not the village. For a while, the night is enough. She is young, he is young, and they could die in this war._

 _They are 17._

 _'_ _I love you.'_

 _She remembers smiling, and slowly detangling their legs._

 _'_ _I don't think you know what love is,' she whispered._

* * *

She wakes up thinking about the past. Which she loathes to do. Sitting up promptly, she pulls the basic IV plugged into her arm _out_. She stretches, ignoring the pain in her abdomen and leaves the bed.

'C-Chikamatsu-sama! You need to stay in bed!' a medic cries, walking in on her getting dressed. Aruna looks up, but does not stop until even her split vest is back on. 'Chiyo-obaa-sama only got you stabilized an hour ago.'

 _Of course, it had to be that woman that saved me_ , Aruna thought bitterly, rewrapping her arms.

'The Kazekage is dead. I have to get to Konohagakure immediately, or else we may very well be at war by next week.' That shut's them up quite well. She breezes past the medic, popping in her mouth three blood-replenishing pills.

'Chikamatsu-sama that's too many,' a kunoichi said dryly, already knowing Aruna would not listen. Aruna recognizes her, she is in command of this particular outpost.

'I need you to get into contact with HQ; The Kazekage is dead. I need eyes on the Council and the Honored Siblings. I need at least half of our remaining ANBU forces here, right now. I will be departing for Konohagakure in 15 minutes with or without them. I expect them to catch up with me tomorrow at the latest. Please remain here until further instruction. "Protocol 4" is in action as of right now; no one gets in or out without ID or the safe word. Am I clear?'

'Crystal, Chikamatsu-sama.'

'I want you checking the credentials of the shinobi already here, as well. Any able-bodied Jōnin here will be accompanying me. Please spread that to the rest of the base. Dismissed.'

As the kunoichi quickly followed her orders, Aruna felt a slight rush to her head. Three pills really were too much. Aruna narrowed in on where Oni's signature had been pulsating routinely, the standard procedure for when they were separated. Oni sat, slumped, in a chair by the entrance, looking to be in the middle of a nap. Aruna let her shoulders un-tense, smiling a little.

'I don't know what's got you so tired, I'm the one that got impaled.'

Oni looked up, and Aruna swore if it could it would have looked relieved. ' **You're not the one that had to haul your sorry ass to safety.** ' It stood, meeting her halfway. They quickly clasped arms, but separated so Aruna could wind it back up. ' **How long will it take to get to the leafy village?** '

'Full tilt, I expect us to reach the gates by tomorrow morning. Thankfully, this outpost is closer to the boarder than most. Orochimaru will be entering Konoha tonight, the final exam is tomorrow. We may end up cutting it close, considering my wound,' she gently touched her abdomen, pushing against the new skin that was still tender. Chiyo would never be redeemed in her eyes, but she was a damn good medic, even at her age. But, had Aruna been out there even 10 minutes more, only the Slug Princess would have been able to save her. And they did not have a Slug Princess hanging around.

' **I don't get why you humans push boundaries that you literally cannot break…** '

'Oni, you only know shinobi. Not all humans have dangerous lives.'

' **In that case, I wish I lived with a civie.** '

'Me too.'

' **Why do we have to go, again?** '

Aruna couldn't actually think of an answer Oni _would care_ _about_ , so instead, she put a hand on it's shoulder and shook her head slightly. 'I need you there to carry my things.'

' **Ah, that makes sense,** ' it mused. ' **But don't expect me to fight anyone for you, I think I pulled something yesterday.** '

Aruna didn't give it the satisfaction of a reaction. Oni would always try to get out of fighting, Aruna did know why she thought the Kazekage's death would inspire it.

Thinking of Rasa, Aruna is stuck in possibly the hardest position possible. Innuendo not appreciated at this time. Officially, there are a multitude of procedures that are set into motion after the death of a Kazekage. Aruna remembers the disappearance of Sandaime, and the sheer chaos at HQ, never mind the village itself. Unofficially, however, Aruna just became the most powerful person in Sunagakure. As ANBU Director and right-hand woman to the Kazekage, she holds a grip over the bulk of Suna's forces and shinobi, as well as trade agreements, peace treaties, and any other paperwork she filled out when the Kazekage did not want to.

Oni seemed to read her mind. ' **Are you, like…Kazekage now or something.** '

'I'm trying not to think about it. We leave in 10 minutes. Exactly.'

' **Yes, I know the obsession you have with timing. 10 minutes. Go eat something or whatever, human,** ' it scoffed.

'Do not think me above leaving you here until you run out of chakra.'

' **So touchy.** '

And so, as they travel to Konoha, a small force Jōnin behind her, Aruna tries not to think about how she almost died. She doesn't even let herself think about how Rasa should be alive. She was his body guard, his right-hand woman. No force was supposed to get passed her and get to him.

It was going to be a long _year_.

* * *

Trees whipped by, the humid air of Konohagakure doing nothing to help with any of heat and sweat Aruna and her men were experiencing. But they rushed on, the only thought one any of their minds being getting to the Kazekage's children as fast as possible and stopping the invasion.

Aruna may also be planning to kill Orochimaru, but she's just hoping to get the first things on her list done.

Oni gives a quiet running commentary as they travel, commenting on every tree that's unusual, or a bug it saw. Aruna thinks she may hear one of her Jōnin groan under his breath when Oni asks, again, if they were close or not. Personally (and privately), Aruna welcomes the annoying distraction, knowing it won't actually harm their schedule or pace. She does wish to know how Oni gained such an _interesting_ personality, if not from her.

'Taichō,' she hears from her side. She nods in greeting to her squad of Mirages, very pleased to see they had caught up so soon. She eyes the man running beside her. He had been running missions for her since he was sixteen, and she had been his first captain.

'Protocol 4,' she replies, not giving it a chance.

' _There is strength in the sand, for each grain has the same ambition,_ ' He repeats the immortalized words of the Sandaime Kazekage, told reverently to young shinobi each year in Sunagakure. Not even the villagers had ever heard the valued saying. Aruna nods again. She'll have to think of a new code.

Aruna signs to him in Suna's ANBU hand symbols, ' _Two parts. Behind. In front. Any signs. Snake. Sound. Eliminate. Sign back confirmation.'_

 _'_ _Confirmed.'_

 _'_ _In front. Eyes on children. Wait for signal. Sign back confirmation.'_

 _'_ _Confirmed.'_

 _'_ _Behind. Support. Medics. Puppeteers. Reactionary only. Sign back confirmation.'_

 _'_ _Confirmed.'_

 _'_ _Go.'_

Aruna watched a squad blur forward, the scouts of her ANBU, while the second half fell back, a little less than a kilometer behind.

'Taichō, what are our orders?' the Jōnin closest to her inquired. Aruna almost ignored him, not caring to answer. But she knew what happened when troops went in blind.

'The most important thing is to spread word to our shinobi: the Kazekage is dead, the invasion is a no-go. I don't want to see a single Suna ninja attack Konohagakure. Orochimaru will have shinobi of his own; Oto-nin. Do not hesitate to kill them if they become a threat. I will be looking for the children of the Kazekage.' _And then I will avenge Rasa myself._

'Understood!'

The gates of Konohagakure were not something she'd ever been relieved to see in her life. Aruna held up her hand, pausing the party at the appearance of two guards. She did not recognize them.

'State your business, Suna-nin,' the one on the right calmly called out. Aruna respected his composure in the face of a large group of foreign ninjas.

'My name is Chikamatsu Aruna, I am the advisor, bodyguard and second in command to the Kazekage of Sunagakure. We have come to warn you, as well as aid you. The Kazekage currently in your village is an imposter by the name of Orochimaru,' Aruna voiced as clearly as possible, only just beginning to feel fatigued from her injury.

The two men easily showed their surprise, but Aruna figured she'd let it slide this time. She stepped forward with her ID, showing them her diplomatic immunity in Konoha as messenger to the Kazekage.

'Where is the real Kazekage?'

'He is dead. Orochimaru…ensnared him into a plan to invade your village, but murdered him after our Kazekage tried to amend his mistakes.' The words hurt, and she could feel the shocked looks from the men behind her. 'I will not feign pride at this time; Sunagakure has made a mistake in ever trusting that snake, and we would wish nothing more than to protect our sister village from what we brought into her walls.' The Kazekage was dead, and she was in charge. She could handle the blow to Suna's pride.

Before her eyes, two members of Konoha's ANBU flickered beside the gate guards. One of them wore a long beige cloak, but if Aruna was being honest, she had no idea what animal their mask was supposed to portray. They stepped forward, and Aruna unconsciously shifted her sealing scrolls that held her puppets.

'Chikamatsu-sama, you were expected to arrive two days ago,' the ANBU said, their deep voice withholding inflection. 'If what you are saying is true, please allow us to search your party.'

'ANBU-san, in any other situation, it would be my pleasure,' she said back, just as flatly, but with an earnest look in her eyes. 'At present, my priority is the safety of the late Kazekage's children, and stopping the involvement of any and all Sunagakure shinobi in the invasion planned by an S-Class Criminal.'

The cloaked ANBU stood still, watching them for a moment. 'I will allow this, but you will be followed closely by some of our own shinobi.'

'I would not expect anything less. We must hurry; Orochimaru plans to use the Yondaime Kazekage's youngest child as the catalyst of this invasion.'

The ANBU nodded firmly, and turned to lead them quickly to the arena. The situation finally caught up with Aruna's body, her heart pumping blood faster. Pupils blown, she follows after the ANBU, her men and Konoha's numbers mixed together in a chase to the epicenter of the impending invasion. Aruna assumed Orochimaru did not expect Aruna to survive. Realistically, that was fair. But then again, there was no way he could have known Aruna had a sentient puppet in her back pocket.

When the arena comes into view, Aruna is faintly impressed with the sheer size of it, but considering these Chūnin Exams have always been a little more about showing off than anything else, she is not surprised. Aruna's stomach pulls uncomfortably as she speeds up, not wasting any extra chakra, and runs right up the side of the arena's outer wall. Oni is close behind her, it's arms dragging behind it from the effect of gravity. After reaching the top, she sees they are too late. The invasion has already been set in motion. There is smoke in the Kage box, and Aruna can only assume what is about to happen.

She watches as Konoha's ANBU rushes to their Kage's aid, only to be blocked by Sunagakure Shinobi. Aruna would not be fast enough, and is only able to observe as two of her men are cut in half by ANBU. She could only pray her own squad of Mirages had spread word to their cohorts before they all got caught up in the political shit-storm headed their way.

Alongside the ANBU captain she met at the gates, she runs through the slumped spectators of the tournament. She stops suddenly, following the motion of a green and red blur. Her legs move before she thinks to, but she and her new ANBU partner are too late to get to the Hokage before a barrier is erected. That does not stop her however, from continuing her sprint to the Hokage.

'Orochimaru,' she thunders, her voice almost echoing through the tense atmosphere of the spectator's box. 'You will pay for your crimes against Sunagakure!'

'Oh ho, you spoiled the surprise Chikamatsu-chan,' the man grinned, 'Well, you can trust sand to get into everything,' he said darkly, reaching up under the hat of the Kazekage. In one swift pull, Orochimaru revealed his true face, throwing to the side the stolen face of Rasa.

Aruna could only barely hold herself back from saying more, from telling Orochimaru she planned to see to his death personally. But she needed eyes on Kankurō, and even more so on Gaara. She pulsed her chakra in a familiar signal, satisfied with the arrival time of both her Mirage squads.

'Help Konoha get to their Hokage. Do not engage Orochimaru. Assist in any way possible. I'm going after the children.'

'Taichō-!'

'When have I ever required you to question my orders,' she snapped, glaring at her soldier. 'The Kazekage is dead. I am in possession of the highest power in Sunagakure, and you will aid in Konohagakure's retrieval of the Hokage. I want the names of any Sunagakure shinobi dumb enough to attack our sister village, and you can be sure I will not be lenient of disobedience at this moment in time. Have I made myself clear?'

'Hai, Taichō!'

'Scorpion. Python. With me.'

'Hai!'

Aruna was mad. Mad that her men had questioned her in front of an ally. Mad that Orochimaru had used Sunagakure to gain the upper hand over Konoha. Mad that Rasa had let him.

At the moment, however, Aruna was mostly mad at Baki. For being a tool.

'Baki,' she hopped to where he was facing off against a Leaf-nin. 'The mission has changed.'

'Aruna…you've always disagreed with this plan, but-'

'Baki. As commanding officer, I order you to stand down. The Kazekage is dead. Get me to Gaara-sama.' Aruna hoped that was the _last time she had to tell someone to just listen to her because the Kazekage was dead._

Both Baki and the leaf-nin looked shocked. Aruna was ready to gouge someone's eyes out; she had never been this infuriated in her life. Aruna grabbed Baki by the arm and flickered outside the arena. She had three kids to catch and no time to waste. 'Where did they go?'

'I—Gaara started to lose control of the Ichibi prematurely.'

'What happened?'

'Gaara's opponent wounded him. The Ichibi is fighting for control.'

 _Only Rasa would leave me to clean up such a mess,_ she thought, a little sardonically and a lot irately.

Oni's hand snaked up to hit Baki on the back of the head. ' **Not much of a good Sensei, are you, Baka,** ' it snarked, gaining a growl from the man for using his most hated nickname.

'We will have words about Baka's usefulness as a teacher later,' Aruna said, her voice too serious for it to be considered a joke despite the nature of her words. Oni laughed none-the-less. 'Right now, we must secure his safety, as well as damage-control in the face of a full possession. Viper,' she addressed one of her Mirages. 'Search for Temari-sama and Kankurō. Baki, Scorpion and I will track Gaara-sama. Any questions?'

'Are you …Kazekage now?' Scorpion asked. If she didn't know the face behind his veil, she would have smacked him upside the head for such a stupid question at this time.

'I'm trying not to think about it.'

* * *

AN: well, writing Orochimaru is probably the hardest thing I've ever tried to do as a writer. I am reminded of why I write so many original characters. sorry if he's out of character, I'll try to get a better handle of the canon characters ;.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own nart or sauce, I only own the bullshit

* * *

Time was not a luxury shinobi had. Punctuality was a pipe-dream. Perfectly executed plans were a fantasy. They were moved like pieces on a Shogi board at the will of those above them, and in Shogi, it's about who wins. Not how long it took.

It took too long to find her apprentice. Gear torn and face a mask of pain, Aruna wasted no time kneeling beside the child she had taught for the last 9 years.

'Kankurō…' his face had small welts, what looked like many bug bites. She turned to see another boy, nearly about to fall off his own branch. 'Where the hell is Python? I told him to find the other children. Scorpion, grab the leaf genin. It's clear now the siblings are together. We must reach Temari-sama before Gaara-sama reaches a full transformati—'

She was interrupted by a large **_BOOM_** , which seemed to come from the main village. Then, Aruna watched as the large head of a snake loomed over the tops of the trees, followed by a glimpse of two others.

'Tch _!_ ' Aruna grit her teeth, turning to Baki. 'Baki, I leave the children to you. Kankurō is only exhausted. I will take the leaf genin to a safer area.'

'That wasn't the plan…'

'Plans change, Baki. Scorpion, try to find Python, but your main priority is Gaara-sama. Oni,' she addressed her partner. 'Decide now if you'll follow me into battle or stay with Kankurō.'

' **Maa, you know I hate making tough decisions. Might as well watch you kick ass.** '

Aruna left her apprentice with a quick pat on the cheek and a silent vow to return. With the small leaf genin in her arms, her and Oni sped toward the commotion.

'I only hope some of our own are already helping,' Aruna said under her breath, skipping over a felled tree. Oni kept pace, but was uncharacteristically quiet. She didn't comment on it.

 _'Shishou, why do you always have that puppet following you?' A young Kankurō peeked behind Aruna, looking straight at Oni._

 _'This is my partner, Oni. It helps me when I am most in need.'_

 _'Like…Like a sister?' Kankurō whispered, looking over to where Temari stood, training with Baki._

 _'A little,' Aruna conceded, 'But it's more like…a friend. Who will always watch my back.'_

 _'But…how do you know it will? It can't talk or nothin', can it?'_

 _' **Or nothin'**_ **,** _' Oni teased, gaining a squawk of surprise from Kankurō._

'Oni.'

' **Mm?** ' it hummed, almost as if it were distracted.

'You've never had to follow me, fight with me. You could walk away, right now. Why do you stay by my side?'

' **Mmm…maybe it's because that damn maker of mine decided his experiments were more important than staying with you. Maybe it's because his memory whispers to me at night to protect you. But it's probably more because…we're friends.** '

'Friends, huh?' _Jomei, Yashamaru, Maki, Rasa, Kaz…_ Faces sped by in her mind, and she would not pretend she hadn't seen the flash of red hair and cavernous brown eyes. 'I've always thought of you…as a partner and confidant, Oni. I can't think of a more fitting situation to tell you this, my friend.'

' **You humans are so dramatic,** ' It snarked, pushing off from a branch with one last large burst. ' **Let's just get this over with and go home.** '

Aruna huffed a laugh behind her veil, smiling. She flung herself from the trees, landing before a leaf jōnin that had just taken down two Oto-nin. The jōnin had red eyes and wore a tight dress, but it was the fury on her face when she spotted the child in her arms that was beautiful.

'I found him in the forest. I believe his friends were trying to catch up to our jinchūriki, and acted bravely to stop my very own apprentice,' Aruna supplied. 'I apologize for his involvement, but I have come to help. And rest assured,' she added after handing the boy to the jōnin. 'I do believe this young man kicked my apprentice's ass.'

The woman only watched, a little dumbstruck, as Aruna jumped away, speeding toward the core of the battle. Aruna did a mental inventory of her partners. Only Cerberus had been damaged in her fight with Orochimaru, but she was not sure her three others would be very effective at all. She had a fifth puppet, one she never used normally. But this wasn't much of a normal circumstance, was it?

Aruna grabbed the larger scroll from her back. It was ornamental in nature, the paper of the scroll almost pearlescent. Oni made a sound of surprise from beside her, but ignored it.

'Oni, you may need to stay back.'

' **Oh, no way. You're taking me with you. I can't skip out on that view.** '

'Very well,' Aruna's hands flew through her family's special hand signs, activating the summoning scroll. 'Let's go, shall we?'

' **This just got even more exciting.** '

There was a boom. Nothing like the crumbling of buildings, or the tremor of an earthquake. More like the single beat of a drum. Like the rolling of thunder. For one moment, all nin, of the Leaf, Sand and Sound, stopped. Above their heads, cloaked briefly in a cloud of dust, was the large form of a wolf, nearly sparking with energy. Raijū stood over 9 meters tall, it's wooden, steel-enforced paws the size of a small onsen. Raijū had taken Aruna nearly five years to complete, the intricacies of its inner working gears and parts, alone, taking up half of that time.

And so, standing high above her fellow shinobi, high above the warriors of her sister village, and even above the villainous Oto-nin that threatened them both, Aruna let loose her ten chakra ropes. Thick, braided chakra strings attached themselves to the Ten Spots on the Raijū, bringing to life the huge false deity. Aruna's forehead crinkled with effort, her previously mortal wound still tender, and her chakra steadily running out.

'Oni, this will have to be taken care of quickly.'

' **I'm not surprised. Nothing is ever so easy.** '

Unlike if a real rope had been tied to each of her fingers, she deftly controls her chakra ropes with the slightest movements. So, with the ascension of her index fingers, she launches toward the large serpentine summons. Aruna knows these snakes do not have her same qualms with smashing the buildings of the Leaf Village. With the flick of her thumb and middle digit, the mighty jaws of Raijū unhinge, it's man-sized teeth wrapping around the thick body of one of summons. Pushing against the ground, Aruna's puppet leapt up, shoving the snake back across the Walls of Konoha. It would not be good for any more damage to be done in what looked like a civilian area.

'White Secret Technique: Raijū Grapple,' from out Raijū's colossal shoulders, four cables shot out. The weighted hooks on the end of each rope allowed for the snake to be held down, and from the openings in Raijū's upper structure, electricity raced down the length of the cable.

The unholy snake's body convulsed from the shock, alerting the two-other summons with a dreadful hiss. The one closest to the downed snake drew back its head, before _lunging_ at Raijū. Not having moved quick enough, Aruna grunted as the snake crashed its mouth down on Raijū's left hip joint. Fortunately, due to the nature of a snake's jaw, it was not able to get a good enough grip to rip out the joint, and instead only did minimal damage to the body. However, it seemed reluctant to release its hold, and as Aruna steadied Raijū, the third summon struck.

' **Oni Original Jutsu: Solid Defense,** ' Aruna heard from behind her, and turned to see Oni, who had unleashed its multiple arms, stretching all six to form a wall. The snake's cranium bashed into the arms of her partner, sending Oni flying back. Aruna clicked her tongue in anger, yanking her whole left hand back, fingers in a clawed position. Raijū's body flipped, the gyroscopic head switching to the other side of the body, and with a quick quirk of her fingers, she got her puppet's jaws around the snake that held on to Raijū's leg.

Finding purchase at the base of the snake's head, Aruna nearly screamed with effort, wrenching both hands to not only pull the snake off, but swing it into the other offending serpent. The summon she had shocked still laid, dazed, on the forest floor, trees crushed beneath its tremendous weight.

Retracting her cables was impossible in a fight like this, so she flared chakra through the bottom of her feet, and the ropes detached. Closing their deployment flaps, Aruna focused the rest of her waning energy on ensuring a way these snakes wouldn't make it past the walls of Konoha again.

Before she could attack again, she heard a booming cackle, and turned to see, further in the village, the silhouette of the Ichibi.

'No…' suddenly one of the snakes buffeted the side of Raijū, almost making Aruna lose her grip on its back. Aruna held back a growl. Oni was down and she had only so much chakra left. Then, to her pleasure, two of her Mirages appeared atop Raijū.

'Taichō _!_ '

'Team Coyote,' she greeted, not taking her eyes off the summons. 'I've surmised the best plan of action is to delay these beasts until they are unsummoned, or choose to leave. I want all sand-users out here. We need to create an air-tight defense if they manage to get past me and try to break into the village again. I will be deploying Raijū's Divine Defense. I suggest you keep away from this area.'

'Hai _!_ '

'One last thing…' The two operatives gave her their whole attention, and for a moment, all they could hear was her harsh breathing. 'If I am unable to return to Sunagakure, hand this to my apprentice. Do not open it. Do you understand?'

The shorter of the two reached out, getting ahold of the small scroll Aruna thrust toward them.

'This battle, this invasion, falls partly on the shoulders of us and our kin. Kankurō will not understand at first how everything got so twisted in the end. Keep the Kazekage's children safe…and redeem Suna,' she finished. She finally turned all the way to look at the two men, the two boys. 'It's been an honor, being your superior officer.'

'Taichō _-!_ '

'No more dramatics. Dismissed.' And they would never be able to tell she had a smile on her face.

* * *

 _'Shishou_! _Shishou_! _'_

 _'Yes?' Aruna asked, not looking up from her work station._

 _'Why do you always, uhh, tinker away at Oni-baka?' Kankurō asked, pulling himself up to watch what she was doing._

 _It had been a month since the Kazekage's middle child was pushed onto Aruna, much like a puppy whose owners were leaving on a vacation. Except Aruna suspected she would not be giving this particular puppy back any time soon._

 _'Puppets need constant cleaning and attention, or else they will fail to do their job. Unlike us, they cannot heal on their own.'_

 _Kankurō's face puckered in intense thought, a facial expression that had Aruna holding back her laughter. 'Why don'tcha jus' make a bunch of puppets, so when one breaks, you jus' use another?'_

 _Aruna stilled her hands, wondering how she could explain this to someone that obviously didn't understand much._

 _'Think of it this way. When a partner on your team is hurt, you don't replace them. You help them. Because if you replaced a teammate every time one got hurt, you would have to get used to so many new people, you would never succeed on a mission. Does that help?'_

 _'Hmmm…so, it's like, if your sister got hurt, you wouldn't replace her, because you don't want a new sister?'_

 _'What is it with you and sisters…But yes, that's essentially it.'_

 _'What does e-sen-chi-lee mean?'_

 _'…It means you were right.' Aruna watched as Kankurō hit his fist against his open palm._

 _'I see.' He had heard Aruna say "I see" each time a cloaked man gave her a message, and he had begun saying it, too. 'So, puppets really are like sisters, and you have to treat them right so they help you fight.'_

 _He seemed supremely pleased with his rhyme. Aruna's left eyebrow twitched. Oni pretended to sleep so as to not laugh at it's friend's situation._

* * *

 _Aruna quietly sat beside Kankurō, choosing not to initiate a conversation, but instead act as a comforting presence. She had never had to deal much with children after she herself had stopped being one, yet even then, the academy was quite different back then._

 _It was getting close to supper time, and the sun was already low in the sky. Sunsets in the desert were beautiful, if cold, and they always had a certain pull on Aruna._

 _She quickly found that Kankurō was not going to start, and so with a quick look upwards for help from a higher power, Aruna placed her hand gently on his shoulder._

 _'Kankurō, would you like to tell me what's the matter? I cannot help if you stay quiet.' It was stilted at best, but he turned finally to look up at her, and that was progress on both their parts._

 _'You…You'll make fun of me!' he said quickly, turning away again._

 _Aruna closed her eyes, wondering why? What had she done to deserve this? How was she supposed to console this little boy?_

 _'I won't. When have you ever known me to poke fun at people?'_

 _'I guess…' he hesitated. His arms uncrossed finally, and his shoulders hunched in on himself. 'Nēchan is really good at everything…all the elders think she's really great- And she is! But then also Ga- my brother… they say he's so powerful and dangerous…' he tapered off. Aruna gave him time to gather his thoughts._

 _'When they said I would have the right control for puppets I was so ready to be good at something,' he whispered._

 _Aruna remembered that Kankurō had not been born into a family of puppeteers. He had not been surrounded by other people that started off making the same mistakes. He was the middle child of the Kazekage. Not the eldest, not the strongest, and not the one with a beast sealed in his belly._

 _'…When I was your age, I had already mastered controlling chakra strings,' she said, ignoring the flinch Kankurō gave. 'I was half-way through creating my first puppet. I was one year away from making Genin.'_

 _'How is this supposed to help me?' he grumbled._

 _'Kankurō, you have the potential to be even better than me,' she added, a little amused to see his head whip around so fast to look at her. 'Everything I learned was pushed upon me, forced into my very muscles and chakra coils. I was born to be what I am to this day. But, you have something I never even dreamed of.'_

 _'W-What? What do I have?'_

 _Aruna's eyes crinkled, and she felt a soft smile dawn over her face. She carefully moved her hand to rest on his head. 'You have the choice to get better at anything you wish to do. It took a long time for me to find joy in what I do, but you have the chance to choose. I can see already your chakra control improving, and soon, you will accomplish your first chakra strings. But you cannot succeed if you only wish to become a puppeteer because you'll be good at it. Our traditional jutsu is an art…but you really must love it to become great.'_

 _'So…Because I have a choice…'_

 _'Because you have a choice, you can choose to be anything. And when you do, you will become a powerful shinobi, Kankurō.'_

 _Aruna grunted in surprise when his little arms wrapped around her waist. She patted his head, chuckling the littlest bit._

* * *

 _'Shishou_! _' Aruna turned, watching her eight-year-old apprentice run over to her. What she saw was surprising to say the least._

 _'Kankurō,' she greeted slowly, roaming her eyes over the young boy's face. It was covered in purple paint, so much so, that his face was more paint than skin._

 _'I was trying to do the stripes like you, but they kept being uneven, and each time I fixed one, the other was wrong, and then my face was completely purple! You've gotta help me, I don't know how to take it off and it's starting to itch!'_

 _Aruna was unfortunately struck speechless, and left her protégé hanging._

 _'Come,' she finally said, turning to walk back to her residence. 'I will lend you a bottle of the paint-remover I use.'_

 _'Thanks, Shishou!'_

 _'You're a pest.'_

 _'What_!? _Shishou, you're so mean!'_

 _She only wished Yashamaru could see her apprentice's adorable rendition of her war-paint._

 _'Heh, and you said I wouldn't pass,' Kankurō grinned, watching smugly as Aruna helped him stitch his hitai-ate into his head-dress. Her hands stopped, and she looked at him, her face dry as the sand around them._

 _'I do not have to continue stitching this. I can stop.'_

 _'No, no! I'm sorry! Please!' Aruna started from where she left off, and soon it was finished._

 _'I never said you wouldn't pass. I only stated my disbelief in you ever actually passing a test at all.'_

 _'That's the same thing!'_

* * *

 _'We're losing her!' The medic cried, his hands pressed firmly against Aruna's abdomen. Her eyes are open, and her breath leaves her in stuttering gasps, but they all know she isn't truly conscious. Her body convulses under the weight of two jōnin, holding the shoulders of the woman they looked up to most._

 _'The blade nicked the side of her liver and went straight through her right kidney. Internal bleeding. Another millimeter, and it would have gone through the renal artery,' a man declares calmly over the hubbub._

 _The door opens and they see the old woman they all heard stories about before heading off to bed. Chiyo-baasama is short and grouchy and not in the least likable, but the moment they see her they know Chikamatsu Aruna will make it through the night._

 _Chiyo wastes no time, barking out to hear the situation. A kidney. The liver. Child's play. With energy reserved for those under the age of 30, the honorable Chiyo-baasama saves the girl who would love to see her burn._

 _Through it all, Chiyo remembers a small brown-haired boy, asking her to teach him. She told him no, that she would never take on another apprentice again. Because after all the years of her life, she never regretted anything more than creating the jutsu that would bring the ANBU Director's notorious wooden partner to life. That would bring the end of Chikamatsu Aruna's best friend._

 _Years later, she's seen the same boy, with ridiculous purple paint and uncharacteristic punctuality, and knows that she is saving this woman for more than one reason. More than her worth to the village, and Chiyo's own selfish guilt. But for the boy she knows means more to Aruna than anyone else in Sunagakure._

* * *

 _'I-I did it_! _' Kankurō turned to look at Aruna, a smile almost splitting his face clean in half. His eyes had gotten glossy, and he was trembling with happiness._

 _Aruna took a moment to just smile at her apprentice. He wiggled his index finger, a thin, almost invisible string of chakra attached to the tip. Aruna crouched to eye-level, setting a hand on his head._

 _'I knew that you could. I'm proud of you,' she said, a genuine smile lighting up her eyes._

 _Maybe having an apprentice wouldn't be so bad after all…_

* * *

From outside the village walls, Konoha is quiet. Aruna doesn't think she's experienced this kind of silence in her life. It feels fragile, like a ruse or a trick. But the large serpentine summons are gone and Aruna stands, back still unbreakably straight, atop the monstrous creation of her own design, and she sighs.

The chakra ropes unravel, leaving her arms tingling and her fingers burning. _No matter_ , she thinks, doing the required hand signs to seal Raijū back into the large heirloom hanging from her shoulders. She lands with a stumble, but stays upright, and rushes to where Oni's cracked body lays. Gently turning it over, she gives it two, half-hearted twists, and she knows it's relief that bubbles in her chest when it sits up.

' **I was dreaming, y'know?** ' it says irritably, but Aruna does not care.

'You've saved my life twice in the last 29 hours,' her voice is soft, and she reaches up to rip off the tattered face veil. 'I am forever in your debt, my friend.' She helps Oni up, and it dejectedly detaches the broken arms hanging from it's torso. Aruna takes the arms into her seal, meaning to repair them as soon as they return to Suna.

' **I may be wrong on this, but I don't think that's how friends work, Runa,** ' Aruna frowns. ' **I can't believe me of all things has to spell this out. Friends don't owe friends.** **Now let's go home, I'm tired of all these trees.** '

And that was all they said about that.

Konoha was as devastated as one would expect after an invasion of that caliber. Aruna walked slowly down a demolished road, rounding up her men and women as she went. They fell in line with her, status reports on their tongues and a relief in their statures when they are joined by yet another one of their kin. There are casualties. Aruna would have been surprised if there weren't.

'The Hokage is dead,' Scorpion reports from her left side, Oni to the right of her and Viper favoring his left leg behind them. 'No one was able to break through Otogakure's barrier in time.'

'I see,' she responds, and for a moment her heart truly goes out for Konohagakure. But she snatches it back just as quick, and continues walking to where she feels the strong chakra of Suna's jinchūriki, and hopes to any God that Kankurō is with him.

'Chika-taichō, I've compiled a list of our troops that aided the invasion.' That made her stop, and she turned to the woman that spoke. One of the few active female Mirages, Operative Oasis was perhaps the most loyal kunoichi she had the pleasure of knowing, second only to herself and Maki.

'Oh?' Oni snickered, and Aruna herself saw Scorpion and Viper stiffen at her tone. Aruna raised her hand, awaiting the list. Once in hand, she peered down at it, memorizing the information. 'Mmm. This is appreciated Oasis. Thank you for your diligence as always.' Oasis bowed in return.

Aruna quickly tucked the list away, feeling a steady anger burn within her. The list is small. But small isn't good enough.

Her planning was cut short by a shout of, 'Shishou!' Turning quickly, she spotted Kankurō, standing beside Temari, who held onto a slumped Gaara. She sent her Mirages away, some to find those on the list, others to help, and the rest to regroup Suna's forces. With as much poise and dignity, Aruna rushed over to her apprentice.

In a moment of weakness, she swept the young teen into her arms, letting her arms rest over his shoulders for a heartbeat before letting go.

'You three,' she breathed, her eyes narrowing. 'Have given me no less than five headaches, in the past three hours. When we return to Sunagakure, I am not letting you out of my sight,' she mumbled the last part.

'Is it true?' Temari said brusquely, her face clearly showing her fatigue. 'Is Father dead?'

'Yes,' she had never pulled punches with Temari in the past, and the teenage girl would not wish for her to do so now.

'Who is Kazekage now?' Kankuro demanded. She sent him a stern look, but answered nonetheless.

'It is now up to the council to select an interim Kage, since your father did not choose a successor. Then, they will find a permanent replacement.'

'Is it going to be you?'

'Do not ask thoughtless questions. Now, do any of you need medical attention?' Aruna swept them all toward the nearest medic. The village was in shambles, but with Aruna's help, the summons had not caused irreparable damage to the civilian district. With her interference, Leaf Shinobi were able to fully evacuate and rescue all villagers in that area. They did not thank her out right, and she did not expect them to. It was after five hours had passed that Aruna finally sat down for the first time.

'I do believe I won't be able to get back up,' she murmured to Maki, who sat beside her. The younger woman gave a small laugh in return, and placed a light hand on Aruna's shoulder.

'I think our people will find it in themselves to forgive you.'

'Ah, precious clemencies.'

* * *

AN: This chapter is a little shorter, but I thought it wrapped up this bit of the story well. So the invasion went by sorta fast, but I didn't want that to be a big part of the actual action. Mostly because we already see that shit in the actual Naruto. I want to focus more o the invasion, and Suna's side of things. The next few chapters will have much more politics and more on the rebel groups and Aruna being even busier, the poor thing.

As for all the flashbacks in this chapter, I thought they fit with the drama, because Aruna was not really sure she would make it, which is why she's remembering her time with Kankuro ;-; so sweet, so sad

I just wanted to thank **OstaraNight** and **Shil0h** , again, for writing reviews, they both made my year lol :') If there is any aspect of Suna you're interested in, I would love feedback, and maybe I could include it in the story

Thanks for reading! the next chapter will most likely be a week and a half from now until I can set a good pace, sorry in advance

-Werd


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